Saturday, December 20, 2008

Apple Cranberry Crisp



The original recipe was handed down to me by Angela at EOS. I used to make variation of it on a weekly basis. I would change the fruit, the spice and the ice cream depending on seasonal market finds, and we would always run out. You can make this dessert in any oven-safe deep dish.
For the topping:
This will probably make more than 6 portions but it’s as small of a batch as I can make with my equipmen.
Dough #1: in a mixer combine 1 cup flour, ¼ cup + 1Tbs sugar and 1/8tsp salt. Mix with a paddle.
Cut 4oz (1stick/8Tbs) cold sweet butter into small chunks. Add to flour mix and mix until it forms into small crumbs.
Whisk together 1 egg yolk (large egg), 1tsp ice water, 1/8 tsp almond extract and ¼ tsp vanilla extract. Add to flour/butter mixture, mix shortly.
Crumble the dough on a pan and freeze.
Dough #2: In mixer combine ½ cup brown sugar, ¾ stick butter (3oz/6Tbs) and 1/8 tsp salt and cream with a paddle until fluffy.
Combine ¼ cup+1Tbs+1tsp flour and ½ cup+1Tbs rolled oats. Add to creamed mixture and mix until small chunks form. Do not over mix.
Crumble the dough on a pan and freeze.
Once frozen, mix the two together. You can keep in the freezer for up to a month



For the filling: (makes six ramekins)
Ingredients: 4 medium apples (I like pink ladies or Jazz apples) peeled, diced and tossed with 3Tbs of lemon juice; 1tsp fresh ginger finely chopped, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp clove, 1/8 tsp cardamom; 2Tbs butter, 2 Tbs orange juice, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup cranberries.

Melt the butter in sauce pan, add the apples, ginger and spices. Cook everything for 2 minutes then add the orange juice and sugar. When the apples are tender (about 5 minutes) add 1cup cranberries.



Cook for a couple more minutes, add 2Tbs flour and mix well.
Remove from the flame and divide into the ramekins (these ramekins are from IKEA).



Top the fruit with the dough mixture, making sure to have some of each dough. Be generous with the topping, after all if you put too much the dough will fall off the top when baking, and as the chef you will have to eat the tasty crumbiness. Place the ramekins on a parchment lined cookie sheet for easy clean up.
Bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for about ½ hour. Not all ovens are created equal, so check the crisp every 10 minutes and rotate the pan for an even bake. The crisp is done when the dough is nice and golden and you can see the filling bubbling underneath.



Make sure to wait a little before you serve the crisp to avoid burned tongues.
I make my own ice cream but a good store bought will do just as well. Enjoy!

Mica


Israel Out in the Bay



We got asked to make a cake for the "Israel in the Park" festival that was held in Golden Gate Park in SF earlier this year. After racking our brains for ideas that would represent both Israel and the community of San Francisco, we ended up with Star of David cake on a white background (Israeli flag colors) and a rainbow, representing gay pride. The entire structure is made of chocolate cake with cherry filling, covered with fondant, and colored with food coloring. The title of the cake was "Israel Out in the Bay".

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

One great fundraiser


Every year we take part in a fundraiser for Girl's Inc of Alameda County called "Women of Taste." It is an event that features women chef's, restaurateurs, winemakers, musicians, artists and more, and supports the organization Girl's Inc, a nonprofit with the mission to inspire girls in low-income families to be strong, smart and bold.

Every year we try to come up with a different design theme for our booth. This year we decided to use goldfish as a backdrop. We filled glass cylinders of various shapes and sizes with goldfish of various shapes and sizes, added lights, bubblers, and some great food (for the guests).

At the end of the night we bagged up the fish for the kids, but ended up giving nearly all of them to the adults in the crowd. What better way to recycle the decor?

For information on donating to Girl's Inc, go to
http://www.girlsinc.org/index.html

Oh, here's the menu...

Girls Inc 2008


Cream of corn soup

With coconut milk and cilantro; made with corn stock

Gougers filled with prawn cocktail

With shelling peas and lemon aioli

Peanut Butter and jelly bars

With raspberry jelly